psalm
Americannoun
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a sacred song or hymn.
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(initial capital letter) any of the songs, hymns, or prayers contained in the Book of Psalms.
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a metric version or paraphrase of any of these.
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a poem of a similar nature.
noun
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(often capital) any of the 150 sacred songs, lyric poems, and prayers that together constitute a book (Psalms) of the Old Testament
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a musical setting of one of these poems
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any sacred song or hymn
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of psalm
before 900; Middle English psalm ( e ), s ( e ) alm ( e ), psame, Old English ps ( e ) alm, sealm < Late Latin psalmus < Greek psalmós song sung to the harp, originally, a plucking, as of strings, akin to psállein to pluck, pull, play (the harp)
Explanation
A psalm is a religious song in the Bible. While you can read psalms as prayers, they are meant to be sung. The Book of Psalms is a section of the Christian Old Testament and the Hebrew Bible that includes 150 individual psalms. The word psalm, which is pronounced with a silent p, comes from the Greek word psalmos, "song sung to a harp," and its root, psallein, "play a stringed instrument." While they're not often backed by a harp these days, psalms are frequently sung with musical accompaniment in churches and temples.
Vocabulary lists containing psalm
"Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Passover Vocabulary
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Queen of the Sea
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In Psalm 73, Asaph pleads with God, wondering why good men suffer while the wicked prosper.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
However, Kardashian reportedly paid $23 million to retain the home after their 2022 split, and she has continued to live there with their four children—North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm.
From MarketWatch • Oct. 29, 2025
An earlier post quoted a Psalm from the Bible: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?”
From New York Times • Mar. 18, 2024
In Psalm 23, David describes God as a shepherd who provides for the flock.
From Salon • Jan. 12, 2024
I often heard my grandfather quote Psalm 37:25 when he spoke of his family: “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.”
From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
